Nafs

Soul — between the brows

Nafs, the lower self, located by the Mujaddidi schema between the eyebrows — at the forehead rather than the chest. It is the 'world of creation' latifa, distinct from the five 'world of command' chest-lataif. The Qurʾānic typology gives three grades: nafs ammārah (commanding to evil), nafs lawwāmah (self-reproaching), and nafs muṭmaʾinnah (at peace). In the Naqshbandi sulūk the nafs is engaged through dhikr, fasting, and the discipline of intention until it consents to its own pacification — at which point it ceases to oppose the lataif of the chest and becomes their ally.

QalbRūḥSirrKhafīAkhfāNafsNafs

Point 6 of 6 in Lataif al-Sitta (Six Subtle Centers)

Cross-tradition overlaps

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Sources

Sirhindī, Maktūbāt I.234 (primary_canonical)

Maktūbāt I.234 (First Daftar, Letter 234) distinguishes the nafs latifa of the world of creation from the chest latāif and places it between the eyebrows in the Mujaddidi scheme. The citation supports the diagram's placement and classification, not a claim that the nafs is a physical organ.

Qurʾān 12:53; 75:2; 89:27 (primary_canonical)

The Qur'anic loci are 12:53 (the nafs commanding evil), 75:2 (the self-reproaching nafs), and 89:27 (the tranquil nafs). These verses document the three Qur'anic descriptors named in the diagram; the five chest latāif and their coordinates come from later Sufi manuals and letters.

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